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My recently inherited Apple's iPod nano, as you probably know from your own iPod nano which may have exhibited the same problem, just stopped working with iTunes 7. And as there is no other program to administrate an iPod, that's it, hasta la vista.

• My Apple iPod nano was recently, and regularly, not recognized by the only software that can control its content effectively (Apple's iTunes); a full "restore" (i.e., deletion of my data, that's what it means) was suggested by Apple's iTunes on several occasions even though the iPod nano did not exhibit any other functional problems. However, the problems returned and did not follow any understandable pattern. Apparently, Apple had introduced problems into the recent versions of iTunes 7 that made it impossible to correctly run the iPod nano. 
• Now, my iPod nano is not recognized by iTunes 7 any more at all most of the time. Seeing as if Apple made sure we can not control the iPod's content using the Finder, this effectively turns the iPod nano into a little Apple hardware brick. Still looks good though, a nice looking brick :-)
  
• If my iPod nano out of a quirk of the moment is recognized by this Apple software called iTunes, iTunes will have a tendency to spin this wheel of eternal wait for a very, very long time. Of course you can still liste to music on the Mac OS X: use the finder, or mplayer. iTunes is forever lost in wait cycles and not appearing to do anything at all. If that is what your idea of Multimedia contains, go for it <g> to me this is not "devices talking", but "bricks staring at each other". Expensive Apple bricks, so to say. 
• However, I found one solution that worked: getting a GP2X , which is what this is about. Well entertained by the GP2X, I also found a fix for the iPod nano problem: deinstall iTunes 7, install iTunes 6.05. Having fixed the iPod nano, it's sweet and cool and little - but still entirely proprietary. The GP2X on the other hand integrates far better with an industry standard environment - including Linux, Windows and Mac, including all sorts of card readers.
  

Feature comparison GP2X versus iPod nano

I figured that it was time to let go of the notion that Apple would provide industry compliant functionality. Besides, operating that scroll wheel has always been difficult for me, as it did not work like I think buttons should work. 

The GP2X clearly excels in each single one of the following points:

• better storage (industry standard SD cards: swap, buy incrementally, ..) will allow you to suit your organisation of files; while you manage one particular card, you may be enjoying the benefit of another card right in your device; 

• better power supply (industry standard external power supply, industry standard AA size batteries or rechargeable batteries) will likely increase your radius of action; 

• support of accessible formats (mp3 and ogg) is entirely warranted and required;
  

• convenient controls (large frame mounted buttons to switch songs) are such a relief;

It appears that in the current situation - Apple having built an iPod mini that failed, now an iPod nano that fails - it should be important to not sink too much money into that type of hardware that ends up being a proprietary brick if you can't wing it somehow.  

At a slightly lower initial cost, the GP2X offers far more flexibility, industry standard compliance and functionality than the Apple's iPod nano.  

As the following table highlights, attributing different properties with "DOF" (degree of freedom) points according to usefulness and functions will allow you to weigh features between the two devices. In my view, the total of the degree of freedoms make the GP2X a better device than the iPod nano by a factor of more than 1000x. 

* DOF: degrees of freedom; estimated on basis of practical experience

** due to Apple's problems with proprietary software stability, not more points can be awarded here